READY TO ROLL

Monday, July 31, 2006

RUNS & WORKERS

UPDATED OCTOBER 2011

Photo of interurban car on the C&LE

7 DIE IN RAIL ACCIDENT - 1935

On Aug. 10, 1935, a speeding passenger coach collided with a work car on the Cincinnati & Lake Erie Traction Co. line three miles north of Springfield, killing seven people, according to newspaper accounts.

The "Daniel Boon Limited" was traveling southbound when it plowed into the work car on a sharp curve during a driving rain.

The Springfield Daily News reported: "Every ambulance and all available physicians in Springfield were pressed into service to care for the injured. ... Ambulances from Urbana assisted in the rescue work."

The New York Times reported: "Fifteen members of the Springfield Fire Department volunteered to submit to blood transfusions."

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From 1903 ...

SPRINGFIELD, O.; Jan. 31---Twelve persons were injured in a street car accident last night, two of whom, Mrs. Addie Wheeler and Mrs. Bailey, are in a serious condition. A Big Four passenger train struck a street car at 7:45 o'clock at the Yellow Springs street crossing. The car was filled with people and drove it 50 feet past the crossing. It is said the accident was due to the motorman losing control of his car. Manager Miller of the street railway company refused to make a statement. (Fort Wayne News - Fort Wayne, Indiana - Jan. 31, 1903)

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On April 20, 1890, the old Limestone Street Bridge over Buck Creek collapsed, killing four spectators at a baptismal ceremony and injuring 50 others. ``Screams, yells, shrieks and groans comingled,'' The New York Times reported. The Springfield police wagon "was filled with the unfortunates, and immediately conveyed to where medical and surgical assistance could be had," according to the Springfield Weekly Republic. An estimated 600 people stood on the bridge, which had been condemned six months earlier, repaired and reopened to traffic. Another 2,000 spectators lined the creek, according to newspaper accounts.

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On Feb. 5, 1872, Springfield and Yellow Springs were rocked by a series of explosions at the Miami Powder Company, which was located 14 miles south of the city at Goe's Station on the Little Miami Railroad. The blasts killed five or six men, according to newspaper accounts. The shock was also felt in parts of Dayton, Urbana and Xenia.

Welcome!

Written and edited by Vinny Del Giudice, a wire service reporter who spent 30 years covering Washington, D.C., started his career in journalism chasing fire engines in Springfield, Ohio, and served as a volunteer fireman and EMT in Arlington County, Virginia, from 1985-1992. (This is a hobby. Suggestions welcomed.)

From the Editor

My seven years as a volunteer fireman were a balancing act between duty and trembling fear. Picture Woody Allen in rubber boots. I am grateful to my colleagues, both volunteer and career, for seeing me through. Your editor helped deliver a baby and helped save a man with CPR. It was an honor to serve. This is an attempt to share what was learned.